Just curious if maybe I was missing something.. we recently attended a double birthday part for friends in LO's daycare. The girls were turning 3 and 2. The birthday party started at 1 p.m. - that's not only LO's naptime, but every single kid in the daycare's naptime, as well (and isn't 1 p.m. is a common universal naptime?! lol)

I was just perplexed. We are lucky in that LO is younger than everyone else so he napped a bit in the morning and made it through okay. The other kids (including the two birthday girls) were awake and seemed to do okay.. I thought it was strange to plan a party right when the kids would be their most tired... Even if the party was enough for them, by the time it got over around 3:30 or 4, I'd think they'd all be a mess and not at a good time!

I wouldn't schedule a party during nap time. DS2 just turned 3 and his party was 12-2...naptime here is 2pm. The party was done on time and everyone got to lie down. DS1 is about to turn 5. His party is also at 12 because we need to accommodate his brothers and cousins who are attending and also need naps.

1 is a normal birthday party time. Not the most nap friendly, but sadly, it is common for someone who doesn't want to serve lunch or dinner. Any earlier and lunch is expected. Any later and people expect dinner.

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Kristen
Middle school teacher by day, super mom by night
Mommy to The Boss~2007, The Energizer Bunny~2009, and The Princess~2011
My kids are no longer in diapers, but somehow, my computer keeps finding its way back here...

It seems strange for a toddler's birthday. Among mom friends, the most popular times for playdates or events are start times around 9:30-10:30, or again around 3:00-3:30. My son naps from around 12-3. Most of his friends start naps around 11:30-1:00.

DD is 2 and naps 2-4. Her birthday party and those of her friends has been 10-1. But we all anticipate offering lunch and have small parties. And the last one we attended ended at 12, but they had lunch anyways cause some kids eat at 11, I guess. That being said, two of our 2yo friends don't nap anymore at all.

But DD can skip a nap every now and then and be okay. It would annoy me though if parties were consistently at 1.

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SAHM to Magnolia May (09/10) and Luke Russett (04/13) and wife and best friend to my airman.

Every party I've been to has been a 12 or 1 too. We don't end up going because its rig in the middle of nap time and I don't like going with three cranky kids on my own. It's not fun for anyone. I haven't figured out why people do this. Who wants the birthday kid to have a meltdown because they missed nap at their own party?

1 is a common time here too. I end up leaving my house about an hour early so my 3 little ones will sleep in the car. I would hate for them to miss a party and the only way to get three kids 2 and under to nap early is a long car ride. then i park them in my garage andhave computere time in my car

We've always either done DD's parties around 10-11 or 3 pm. Nap time is too precious to me to schedule a party then! When she was a toddler, we'd just go late to birthday parties scheduled 2-4. My BFF scheduled her DD's first birthday party for 1-3. She originally said 2-4, but I asked her when she napped, which prompted her to change it. Couldn't do it earlier as it was on a Sunday and people were coming from church.